National Home Front Exercise Turning Point 6

Published on: October 20, 2012

Tomorrow, Sunday, October 21, 2012, the national Home Front exercise Turning Point 6 will commence and run until Thursday, October 25, 2012. The Home Front Defense Ministry, the Home Front Command, the National Emergency Management Authority, the regional councils, government ministries, security and rescue organizations, the social services and education system, the health care system as well as public and private bodies will participate in the exercise.

The exercise provides an opportunity to prepare the public and local authorities for an earthquake. This will improve the national readiness and response by examining the cellular alert system, emergency public broadcast, preparing homes for earthquakes, understanding and implementing new directives in an earthquake and coordinating between emergency services.

National Home Front exercise Turning Point 6

On Sunday, at 11:00 a.m and 19:00 p.m a one-minute long broadcast will be aired on the major television and radio channels- Channel 10, Channel 2, Channel 1, Channel 23, Channel 9, “Kol Israel,” “Galey Zahal” and the regional radio stations. The broadcast will inform citizens that an earthquake is taking place, and will include instructions. These Home Front Command instructions should be followed, as they have proved to be life saving in an emergency.

On the first day of the exercise, the Home Front Command will activate the “Personal Message” system, testing the sending of alerts directly to cellular phones. Therefore, text messages will be received throughout the country at 11:00 am and 19:00 pm.

As part of the exercise education facilities and kindergartens, government offices and public institutions will practice going out of closed buildings. In addition, 250 local authorities will be part of the drill in coordination with the Home Front Commands liaison units to regional authorities. Traffic and vital services (including hospitals) will operate as usual.

The exercise, taking place for the sixth consecutive year, was planned in advance as part of the IDF’s 2012 exercise schedule and in coordination with organizations on a national and regional level.

For further details on earthquake preparedness please call the Home Front Command information center at phone number 1207 or on www.oref.org.il.